 Russian generals try to force Putin to turn to defensive operations. New contradictions have emerged between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his generals. Putin is said to be facing pressure from some of his own allies to pivot the invasion of Ukraine into a defensive operation as a counter-offensive by Kiev becomes more likely. According to analysis by researchers at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, ISW, the efforts to recruit 400,000 conscripts into the Russian armed forces would only freeze the current front lines in Ukraine. The ISW said Russia's military command was likely attempting to convince Putin of the reality of the war and get him to turn to defensive operations. The comments reflect a growing feeling among experts that the conflict may be heading towards a crucial tipping point. According to Ukrainian military figures, more than 186,000 Russian personnel had been liquidated in fighting. As Russia quickly expanded the initial professional fighting force, it had committed to the invasion in the early phases of the war. It increasingly relied on conscripts who may be less willing or able to fight. The Russian military currently occupies territory south of the Nipro River and in the eastern Donbas region, but faces a renewed push by the Ukrainian military as the weather improves and fresh Western armaments arrive. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have established positions along the eastern bank of the Nipro River to the south of the city of Kursan. A push southward from Kursan would not only place Ukrainian troops closer to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, but would also allow them to flank the Russian military from the west. The ISW noted that the Russian armed forces have turned to conscripts to defend Crimea and may be planning to prepare other resources to ensure that Russia can retain some lines once the potential Ukrainian counter-offensive culminates. Ukrainian officials have said the peninsula is already a battlefield, despite being well behind enemy lines in the south. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov are likely sensitive to the threat of the Ukrainian counter-offensive but are likely continuing to send contract servicemen to reinforce senseless offensive operations at Putin's insistence, the ISW suggested. The ISW said Putin favours loyalty over competence and this sentiment likely prevents Shoigu and Gerasimov from focusing on setting optimal conditions for an efficient defence by having to commit better trained and more well-equipped troops to these skirmishes.